7 April 2026 | FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
A Victorian crossbench MP claims many residents in the West will gain little from free public transport because they don’t have access or suffer substandard services.
Legalise Cannabis MP David Ettershank says he welcomes the cost-of-living relief – with some suburban commuters saving $45 to $60 a week – but for many in the west, the benefit of four weeks of free public transport is minimal.
“For hundreds of thousands in the west, it’s of little use,” Mr Ettershank told the Victorian Parliament.
“They either can’t access public transport or can access it, but can’t get on it, or can’t be sure that it will even turn up – let alone be on time!
“Residents of our most multicultural suburb, Point Cook, can spend an hour in gridlock to get to the highway, even longer on the bus, then they still have to get to a station or bus interchange.
“It is Point Cook, however, so at least you can hear the abysmal public transport being cursed in more than 100 languages.”
Mr Ettershank has been lobbying for better buses and greater transport integration in the West for three years. He maintains that buses are the most practical way to address the West’s transport gaps, because the government does not need to build new stations or lay train tracks for buses – they are a ready-to-roll solution to transport woes.
“Perhaps the government could start by resurrecting the bus plan that the Cabinet rejected in 2023,” Mr Ettershank said after speaking in the parliament.
“Significant bus reform was recommended by the Department of Transport and then Minister Ben Carroll – there was a new bus network proposal with buses running every 10 minutes on a 1.6km grid across the city, and some new local routes, but cabinet vetoed it.
“Whatever they do, it’s going to need more than four weeks of free public transport to fix it. If you’re on the Melton line, you can squeeze yourself onto an overcrowded V/line train. Some lucky commuters get to stand in the toilet cubicle for the duration of their trip, such is the congestion.
“If you live in or near Mt Atkinson, it’s a perilous half-hour walk to the nearest bus stop. The bus service promised a year ago, like so many ghost buses in the west, is yet to arrive. And Sunbury residents are left scratching their heads, wondering why half the trains on their line only make it to Watergardens.”
“Tens of thousands of westies are forced to drive on the choking, often sub-standard roads, because public transport is not fit for purpose. The government’s announcement of free public transport is poor consolation.”
Media contact: Christine Tondorf,
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